Creating awareness of why family health history matters
06 September 2022
DO you know that family health history plays an important part in the prevalence of health disorders and diseases?
Based on the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey by the Health Ministry, there are an estimated 1.7 million Malaysian adults living with a triple combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, while 3.4 million have two out of the three conditions.
Meanwhile, the Statistics Department has revealed that Malaysians’ life expectancy at birth in 2021 is expected to increase about 12 years compared to five decades ago – raising the need to have better healthcare planning to ensure a healthy life.
As such, Sunway Medical Centre Velocity (SMCV) has launched its #FamilyHealthHistoryMatters campaign to celebrate its third anniversary.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of knowing one’s family history of health issues so that patients can have better control over their future.
Throughout this month, SMCV is offering special deals, screening packages and an activity to encourage individuals to pay more attention to their family health history.
SMCV chief executive officer Derrick Chan said, “We want to encourage our patients to make better decisions about their health by understanding their family health history and choosing to go for yearly screenings to rule out any issues.”
SMCV medical director and consultant emergency physician Dr Wee Tong Ming said, “Having proper knowledge of your family health history is important to understand your risk of developing non-communicable diseases early or later on in life.
“While you are unable to change your genetics, you can modify your lifestyle choices to adopt healthier habits.
“These lifestyle changes, along with regular screening to help detect early signs of diseases, can lead to better health in the long run.”
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